A Year Without Rain
by XRarityoftearsX
Summary: Your POV: Okay, now Kuwabara's just being stupid, and he and Yusuke seriously need to come out of under their rocks. Seriously, who's never heard of an Ipod Touch? Losers.
1. Introduction

**Introduction:**

**Hi people! Alice here. I'm retrying "A Year Without Rain", only this time, it will have a proper introduction. The info below is what would be Piper's Wiki. I'll update it every ten chapters, and let's see how much she changes over the course of three years.**

**Story summary: You wake up in the Yu Yu Hakusho universe, and to your surprise, you fit in perfectly! You make the best new friends, and find some old ones as well. You face your fears and grow stronger as your 16****th**** birthday approaches. However, secrets unfold, and something blooms between you and Hiei. Why didn't you get here sooner? But as happy as you are, the secrets that surround your past are great, and you discover that you are truly living a lie.**

**Story setting{s}: LA, California for the first few chapters, Yusuke's City, Maze Castle, the Dark Tournament, and several other places. **

**Story timeline: When in LA, it's 2010 in October. However, when in the Yu Yu Hakusho universe, it takes place in 1992. **

**Number of chapters: I can only guess right now. It won't be lower than 20, and I'm thinking 50 chapters total. However, that number could easily go up; like I said, I can really only guess.  
**

**Rating: Rated T for teen for violence, language, blood, and minor sexual content/crude humor. However, the rating may go up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any canon characters, normal plot, or Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own Piper and the storyline.**

**Character's Name:** Rose Sangrienta. However, she has gone by the name "Piper" since her parents were divorced, and has been nicknamed "Hyper Piper". She's also been called the "Bloody Rose" by her friends who like to make fun of her fear of blood, which is what her real name translates to, but none of them would dare call her Rose Sangrienta.

**Abilities: **She excels in both the fields of technology, and martial arts. She's an excellent drawer and writer, and her photography skills aren't that bad either. She never leaves the house with her messenger bag, which contains her key to the house, her Ipod, and cell phone, plus her sketchbook, diary, five subject notebook, digital camera, and art supplies. She also has a nose that's sensitive to the smell of blood.

**Gender: **Female

**Sexuality: **Straight

**Age: **She's very close to 16. It makes her wonder why her mother is acting so edgy lately…come to think of it, everyone is acting funny.

**Quotes: **"I'm a genie in a bottle. You gotta rub me the right way."

"Do you think I care what anyone says? They can say whatever they want about me. None of it is true."

**Likes: **Anime, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rozen Maiden, Inyuyasha, Vampire Knight, Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Botan, Keiko, and all of the good guys of Yu Yu Hakusho, and the listed animes. She loves all things creative, dying her hair, pulling pranks, and music. Her favorite artists are Kerli, Linkin Park, Nickleback, Ke$ha, Cobra Starship, Evanescence, and Paramore. She also likes Christina Aguilera, Adam Lambert, and Selena Gomez.

**Dislikes: **Bad music, Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, her family, backstabbers, liars, snobs, pushers, perverts, Justin Beiber, Jersey Shore, Twilight, Math, and Science.

**Personality: **She was given the nickname "Hyper Piper" for a reason. She's very loud and outgoing, but also very mischievous. She's smart, more so than people give her credit for, but she's very naïve. Overall, her personality depends on her mood. When she's happy, she's bright and pleasant. When someone angers her, she becomes sarcastic, rude, mean, and uncaring. After a fight, she seems to become emotionless, and becomes very calm. When she's sad or depressed, she will barely speak, and won't really fight back if someone insults her, a key way of knowing if something is wrong with her. She's also very manipulative, as she doesn't get mad; she gets _even_, but she's also very mature and strict when the situation calls for it. One of her worst traits is that she can never tell the difference between who she can trust, and who she can't.

**Hobbies: **Drawing, photography, writing, poetry, watching anime, playing video games, and listening to music. She also likes to read and roleplay and she's addicted to her phone.

**Theme Song{s}: **Creepshow- Kerli and Genie in a Bottle-Christina Aguilera.

**Blood Type: **AB

**Height: **5'2"

**Weight: **90 pounds.

**Beliefs: **All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Sex should wait for marriage. Some rules are meant to be broken. Nice guys finish last. Never say never. Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, Jersey Shore, and Twilight suck.

**Relationships: **

**Mother- **The only member of her family she has a good relationship with. Currently, little is known about her mother or Piper's relationship with her, but it is clear that Piper cares for her mother dearly.

**Father- **Obviously strained. Piper knew about her father's constant affairs, and tried to tell her mother, but to no luck. She still stayed with him. She hates her father deeply, and will likely never forgive him.

**Siblings- **Nothing is known about them, or their relationships with Piper, but it is known that she hates them for reasons that have yet to come into light.

**Appearance: **She has naturally light blonde hair, but dyes it purple and a part of her bangs a blue color. She's got green eyes, and a small, but curvy build. She keeps her hair in long pigtails, and wears contacts instead of glasses. She wears mostly black, usual seen with a black fingerless glove on her right hand that has a crudely drawn skull, a purple one on her other hand, a black and purple checkered bracelet on her right wrist, and she sports heavy black eyeliner on her eyelids. She sports a Linkin Park black t-shirt, dark jeans, and black Converse. She has a purple pendant, and black broken heart earrings. Her color scheme is black and purple. She also speaks with a slight Irish accent, and has very pale skin.

**Bio: **Her birthday is April 14th, 1996. However, she never lived a very happy life. Everyone would always spread rumors about her because she can actually smile once in a while, and this made her very distant. Her parents began to develop marriage problems because her dad is a jerk, and they divorced, even though it was completely because of her father: he was never faithful to his wife, spent all of their money on alcohol and drugs, and never gave Piper any attention because she wasn't a boy like he wanted. His father took the house {and her two siblings, thank God}, and she got into highschool by the skin of her teeth. There, she made some real friends, and grew stronger, in more ways than one. She took up martial arts, a few computer classes, and now speaks several different languages including English, French, Spanish, Russian, Irish, German, Polish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese.


	2. Chapter 1: Emails and Texts

**Chapter 1: Emails and Texts**

…

**Your POV:**

Your alarm goes off. It's Friday. Yay! The only thing that stops your joy is the annoying ***BEEP**BEEP*BEEP*! **Ugh, why can't you wake up to Kerli or Paramore, or something? You'd love to wake up to something you actually enjoy hearing. But you haven't figured out that part yet. You sigh angrily as you slam your hand on the ***OFF*** button. You throw off your comforter and job out of bed, grabbing your clothes from your dresser.

You head to the bathroom {man, you wish you had your own, you could do whatever you want with it}, and start your morning bath. You take a bath only during the morning for these reasons: {1} It is 3:30 am, and the house is silent. You can play your music, and hear yourself think at the same time. {2} Taking a bath in the morning makes you smell nice for the entire day, and your body is completely shaven. {3} It helps you wake up.

You turn on your portable stereo that's plugged in on some floor cupboard, or whatever it's called, and you play something upbeat and loud; no one's home anyway. Your mother is away at work. She goes to work at night, and sleeps during the day. You give a sigh as your tie your hair back in a bun to keep it from getting wet, and add some of your favorite bubble bath. It makes you smell like roses. You play "Sk8ter Boi" by Avril Lavigne. You smell as your relax and play with the soapy white bubbles.

After washing your body off and shaving, you drain the water, and dry yourself off, changing into your clothes, and start doing your makeup. After that, you log onto the computer and decide to check your emails. They're all from the same people, like always-your six best friends, five guys, only one girl-Crysta, Blaze, Wolf, Estera, Culo, and Odio. Those aren't your real names, but no one cares.

**Hey Piper, **Odio's reads, **Glad to see you've finally woken up. It's already almost four in the morning. However, I don't think the others are up yet. Make sure you give them a wake-up call, 'k? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go give a nerd a wedgie. Late.**

**~Odio**

You give a small chuckle. Odio's always been the bad boy in your group. He's always causing trouble. That's why he was named Odio-it's Spanish for "hate", but he's really not all that hateful once you get to know him. None of your friends are, even Wolf is pretty anti-social most of the time, and Estera and Culo aren't that much better. But you, Crysta, and Blaze are pretty outgoing, even you, you know, for a Bloody Rose like yourself. You smile, and reply:

**Oh come on, leave your poor little brother alone! He's completely harmless. But you're right, he is a nerd. He's totally unworthy of our Goth coolness. Don't worry; I was just about to wake the others up. Blaze would oversleep every day if it wasn't for us. I'll see you at school later. Bye.**

**~Piper**

You give a loving smile. Odio's your closest friend. You've known him since you moved here next door to him. He seems really unpleasant, but he's actually very protective and sweet, and he's great to hang out with, especially when you're seeing a gory movie, because he's the only one who won't get sick watching in, and he'll tell you when to cover your eyes because he's seen every horror film how many times. He's got deep black hair {dyed of course} with a red streak, blue eyes, and skin almost as pale as yours. He always wears a pure-black t-shirt, jeans, and Vans.

You go onto your Gaia profile, and your playlist automatically starts, playing "Numb" by Linkin Park. You take your phone off the charger, and start sending texts, each of them saying the same thing: **Hey emos, wake up! Come on, shake a leg, it's almost four! Remember, we gotta drive down to Dunkin' Donuts for some breaky, and then we gotta get our arses to school! Today's Friday, and it's almost Halloween! **

It only takes you a few seconds to get all the replies.

**Crysta's:**

**Who are you callin' an emo! D: We. Are. GOTHS. You got that? Lol, just kidding. Don't worry, I've been up for like almost an hour, and I'm just making sure I've got all my stuff together, and my lunch is packed. I'll see you at five. Bye.**

Crysta is the…nerdier Goth. She looks goth-heavy black eyeshadow, black nail polish just like yours, and wears all black, but she's got thick black glasses, and wears her short blue hair in a tiny bun. She's got crystal blue eyes that are sharp and knowing. She's the smartest out of all of you, and gets perfect grades. You're really smart, but you only get A's and B's, and she gets perfect A's. She's on the student council too. You thought about it, but that's too much like Keiko.

**Wolf's:**

**Oh, shut up, you're not my mother. In case you've forgotten, I'm up before any of you-you know, the whole "lone wolf" thing. I may hang out you with you guys so much, I might as well be stalking you, but I still like my alone time, thank you very much.**

_Oh, he's in a jolly mood as usual_, you thought as you rolled your eyes. But he is a lot like a wolf-he cares about his pack more than anything else. He's got all black hair, brown eyes, and pretty dark in skin color, but he's not black, just tan from all the time he spends outside. He's the sporty one, and he's on every sports team your school offers! You took all the language classes you could, and that makes you an expert in several cultures, especially Japanese. Wolf usually dresses in band tees and skinny jeans-hey, that rhymed!

**Blaze's:**

**Yeah, yeah, I know! Dear God, you're just like my mom! I'm up, I'm up! And don't worry, all of my homework's done, just like you said. Thanks for helping me on it. I'll see you when you guys come and pick me up. Laterz, girl!**

Your "Sk8ter Boi" as most people would say. He's got brown hair with streaks as green as his eyes, medium skin tone, and doesn't dress as "emo-ish" as you guys do, but his hair is always in a Mohawk, and he wears a lot of skulls and tight jeans, plus skating shoes. He doesn't do so hot in school, and Crysta's usually too busy to help him, and Wolf thinks he's a retard, so Blaze turns to you. He's the most outgoing of all of you, and he's not nearly as serious as the rest of you, either.

**Culo's:**

**I'm awake, alright? I'll be there. There's no need to irritate me all the time; the same goes with Crysta and Blaze. **

You smile. Regardless of his attitude, you smile. Culo's…the least social of you all. He's Blaze's exact opposite. They don't get along all that great, but they're still friends. He barely talks. He's not involved in anything, but he excels in everything he tries. He's really close to Wolf and Estera, so they all dress a lot alike, Culo's got a midnight blue streak in his hair, and he's got mismatched eyes-one is green, and the other is blue. Culo's nickname is part of the phrase "bad ass" in Spanish. He doesn't say it, but he does care about everyone…even though he doesn't bother to say goodbye in his texts.

**Estera's:**

**I'm awake. I'll meet you there. Wolf woke me and Culo up. Don't worry. I'll see you soon, okay? Bye.**

Estera your group's gamer, but he's just as silent and deadly as Culo and Wolf, even though his name just means "mat" in Spanish, which is his real name: Matt. But he's very touchy about his name. You shiver as you think about it. You prefer not to think about what happened to him; it's too similar to what happened to you and your dad. He's…emo and Goth. He's got a lip ring, eyebrow ring, a few earrings, and he's got his tongue pierced. You've only got your ears and belly button. Estera wears band tees like Wolf, Vans like Odio, but just normal black jeans. He's also got a tattoo of the symbol of the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts on his upper arm. When he speaks, you can tell he's really sad all of the time, but he always has a serene smile on his face.

You sigh. You worry about those guys sometimes…

You put your phone away in an inside pocket in your messenger bag and put your digital camera, Ipod, and house key in their own separate pockets. You keep those things inside so they're harder to lose, or for someone to steal. You put your sketchbook and journal away {you can't believe you haven't started writing in it yet} but you keep your 5-subject notebook for just a second, tear out a page, and put it back. You haven't touched that either, and there's only a few pages in your sketchbook that aren't actually blank.

You write a list on the torn-out page on your Yu Yu Hakusho wishlist.

**1} Go to the Yu Yu Hakusho universe, and meet those people! That would be…just…I'd die. I'd get so excited, I'd have a heart attack, and I'd die.**

**2} Become besties with Yukina! She's sooo awesome!**

**3} Prank Kuwabara mercilessly. *insert evil smile***

**4} Get with Hiei. The midget IS MINE.**

**5} Get Crysta with Kurama. She's totally in love with him.**

**6} Tell Yusuke to shut up.**

**7} Train under Genkai.**

**8} Have a huge crossover with Rozen Maiden, Inyuyasha, Kingdom Hearts, and Vampire Knight.**

You smile, fold the paper into fours, and tuck it into your journal. The world doesn't need to know your wishlist, and your friends would never let you hear the end of it, especially Odio. He loves to tease all of you, you especially for whatever reason you could never possibly understand in any degree. Ha, you sounded smart for a second! You're too hyper and annoying to be smart. Crysta's the smart one.

You zip up your bag as Odio's black Explorer cruises up your drive way. You throw on your Converse, grab some money out of your piggy bank, and leave through the front door, hopping into your normal spot next to Odio in the passenger seat. Since he lives right next to you, you're the first person he picks up every morning; the second is Blaze, then Wolf, then Crysta, then Culo, and then Estera. Poor Estera, he's always last…you'll let him sit shot-gun today…if you don't fall asleep like you usually do, and then Odio orders your usual breakfast for you…and pays for it. That irks you. You got a job as a pet-sitter for a reason, and that reason is to stop depending on another for money.

When you finally move out, you want to be able to take care of yourself-that means getting good grades for a scholarship so your mom doesn't have to pay for it, graduating, getting a job, and be able to pay all of your bills, get food and clothes, and make sure there's gas in your car. It's all about your independence. You refuse to let someone else take care of you. You don't care if you never get married. You're not sure that you want to anyway. It's not like you ever date. The only guy you've ever been attracted to is Hiei, and he's a fiction character.

You smile as you get into the car.

"Hey," He smiles.

"Hey," You say back. Just call you Miss Parrot.

…Why do you have the feeling you're in for a long day?


	3. Chapter 2: What happened?

**Chapter 2: …What happened?**

**Your POV:**

Well, you were right. Today sucked. A lot. A lot, a lot. You failed an Algebra test and that brought down your grade by a couple points, your Ipod died on you on the way to school, and now you've got to take the whole night to charge it, and lastly, your "friend" Belle freaked out on you.

"_You are such a little freak! Can't you take the message? I'm not your friend! I don't even like you! I hate you!"_

Her words rang in your ears. You sigh as you look toward the picture of Belle on your nightstand. You two are at a lake, and giving the camera the middle finger. Belle has nut-brown hair, slightly dark skin, and light brown eyes. She's really petite, even more than you. You frown sadly, and place the picture down. You just don't want to look at it-look at her-anymore. That's all you've been through all your life-fake friendships. People who either feel sorry for you or just want to make you look stupid pretend to be your friend, and you can't tell the difference between who you can trust, and who you can't, except for your six best friends, of course. You know you can trust them. Man, what a crappy 16th birthday week.

You smile. It's true. You're just about to turn 16 in exactly six days. Yay for you! You're sooo getting Taco Belle! Or maybe Subway. You don't know why, but you've really been craving some Subway lately.

You look to your clock. You've been home since 3:30, and it's almost 7:00. You sigh. Thank God you had no homework tonight. There's no way you could ever focus on it with the way you're feeling right now.

You pull out your sketchbook, and start on a drawing. It's a heart, but it's covered in the stems of black roses with thorns. One of the thorns has cut into it, and now it's bleeding. Belle is one of the many thorns in your life. All they do is cut into your heart, and make it bleed. They feel nothing. They don't think about your feelings. You feel pain because of them.

You finish the drawing, and go over in fine point sharpie so it stands out more. Then you color it. The thorns are color coded to match the person they represent based on favorite colors-red, blue, lavender, and green, midnight blue and so on and so forth-you color the stems dark green and the rose black. The heart is red. You title the drawing "Broken and bleeding but still beating".

You sigh as you place your sketchbook back in your bag. It's still how early. But you don't feel like doing anything else except sleeping. When you wake up, you'll feel better. You go to the kitchen, and take a tiny white sleeping pill, and let it dissolve under your tongue. You go back to your room, set your alarm, change into your pajamas and brush your hair. You climb into bed, and pull your blanket over your head as you can feel tears coming on.

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn. _

_That's alright, because I like the way it hurts._

_Just gonna stand there and hear me cry._

_That's alright, because I love the way you lie…_

_I love the way you lie._

You finally fall asleep as cold tears run down your face even as you rest your aching head on your pillow. Maybe that's because, even if you refuse to believe it, deep down you realize you can't fix your heart on your own.

…

Before you even open your eyes, everything seems so bright. Did you…did you die? Did you die in your sleep from severe heartache or something? Because it really seems like you've gone to heaven, or the light, or…ugh, or whatever you call it!

Someone shakes you. It's probably Crysta, telling you to wake up even though it's Saturday, and she knows you like to sleep in. You groan. "Crysta, come on, it's Saturday. Let me sleep…"

"Well, actually, it's Monday, and I'm afraid I don't know who Crysta is."

You open your eyes. You look up, and you see blue hair in a ponytail, two curls, and smiling pink eyes. "Hi." Botan says.

You sit up quickly, your green eyes wide and full of shock. You stare at everyone around you. Koenma's sitting at his desk with his hands folded as usual with George standing next to him. Kurama's to his left. But that's not what catches your attention…

HE'S STANDING NEXT TO HIEI! Dear God, you could almost scream like the annoying little fangirl that you are! But…you do scream. You scream bloody murder.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Man, poor Botan; you've got such a high-pitched voice, and you're right next to her ear. She's going to need a hearing aid after that. You sit up on your legs and your eyes flicker from everyone in the room as you start breathing heavily. You think you're going to have a heart attack, its beating so freaking fast! You get your inhaler out of your bag-you don't need it, but it helps regulate your breathing. You look around one final time before asking, "Where I am?"

"Well, now that you're done trying to make our eardrums explode, you're in the Spirit World." Koenma says.

You blink twice. "The Spirit World? Am I…am I dead?" You asked. No wait, you're not dead. Your heart is still beating. This is confirmed when Koenma shakes his head no. Your eyes narrow. "Then how did I get here? The last time I checked, humans can't go to the Spirit World without dying."

Koenma gives a little shrug. "Frankly my dear, we're not sure of that ourselves."

A drop of sweat drips down the side of your face. You bite your bottom lip. "Crap…" You whisper. What about your mother? Dad just took your siblings and got up and left. What's she going to happen to her if it looks like that her oldest daughter just got up and left her as well? "Well, how do I get back?" No one replies. Your eyes flicker left and right as you look down at the floor. "So…who are you guys?" You ask. Not only do you love playing dumb, but it's not going to look good if you already know their names without them telling you.

"I am leader of the Spirit World, Koenma. The woman next to you is my assistant, Botan. The ogre is George." Koenma turns his head to the two demons. "Those two are Kurama and Hiei."

You smile. "Pleasure." You said before standing up. "So…" You start before crossing your arms behind your head. "What are you guys up to?"

"I was just about to send these two to a place called Maze Castle to assist my Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi and his friend Kuwabara. Why?"

You smile. "Would it be alright if I came along as well?"

Koenma looks surprised. "Are you sure you wanna do that? It would be very dangerous." It's probably not every day that he meets someone so willing to put their life in danger for a mission. But hell, it's not like you've got anything better to do.

You scoff. "I'm not gonna sit here and be useless." You say as you stand up, using your hand to emphasize your words. You blink as you realize you're back in your normal clothes with your bag over your shoulder. Yay. Now you don't look like an idiot or a freak.

Koenma doesn't seem to care about your safety. He just wants this job done. "Very well."

You smile as you fix the strap of your bag and walk over to Kurama and Hiei. "Shall we?"

…

You guys are directly above Yusuke and Kuwabara after that bright flash of light.

"It seems you could use some help." Even though you can't see it because the shadows from the tree is blocking out all light, you can tell Kurama's smiling.

Hiei speaks. "If those nothings were too much for you, we're going to have some serious trouble."

You give a small, low chuckle. "Well Hiei, I can see you're a ball of sunshine." Though honestly, you're not that much better…this place smells strongly of blood.

Lightning flashes, and a few seconds you guys jump from the tree. Yusuke smiled. "Well, well, well, the thieves, and you guys brought a friend."

"Hello." Kurama says, grinning.

You wave. "Hey."

"Well, what are you doing here?" Yusuke asks. You think his face looks weird right now.

"Even that fool Koenma knew that it would take more than human power to kill the Saint Beasts." You can guess who said that. It's funny, because the first time you watched Yu Yu Hakusho, you thought Hiei's voice was funny.

Kurama continues to explain. "By aiding in this mission, Koenma has assured us that we can clear our slates in Spirit World."

You chuckle and shrug when Yusuke and Kuwabara turn to you. "I ain't got anything better to do with my life at the moment, so I figured I might as well baby-sit you."

"Baby-sit?" Kuwabara asks.

Yusuke just laughs, knowing that Kuwabara took it the wrong way. You were only joking. "Hey Kuwabara, let me introduce to these guys. That's Hiei," They still don't seem to get along, but then again, Hiei did kidnap Keiko. "And his name is Kurama."

"Pleasure." The latter says.

Yusuke looks at you again. "And who are you?"

You smile. "I'm Piper."

Kuwabara smiles and puts his hands in his pockets. "Well, I don't have a clue what's going on, but it sure is nice to have a helping hand."

"Helping is not the right word." Hiei says, being the little smartass that he is. Yusuke and Kuwabara glare at him, but you can't help but smile. "Koenma may regard us as equals, but I do not. Once we are inside the castle, I suggest you let us do the work. As far as I'm concerned, we're babysitting."

You give a single nod and a smile to match Kurama's. "I agree with Hiei."

Kuwabara glares at the both of you. However, you being you {and knowing Kuwabara would never hit a girl, the little coward}, don't take his empty threats seriously. "Listen here you puny jerk-faces-"

Your laughing interrupts him. "Jerk-faces? Is that honestly the best you could come up with?" You place your hands over your heart, and look like you're about to cry. "Oh, that hurts so much, Kuwabara! I think I just might die." You snap. Your eyes narrow again as you turn to Yusuke. "You must be Urameshi. Can we get a move on, please? The faster we're done here, the faster I can get to work on my training." You may be a pro MMA fighter, but there's always room for improvement.

He nods in response, and you guys start walking. After a few minutes, Yusuke asks, "Hey Piper, how'd you know his name was Kuwabara?"

You scoff. "I don't think even someone as stupid as Koenma would let an idiot like Kuwabara be Spirit Detective." You smirk, but before Kuwabara can get pissy with you, you hold up your hand. "Don't even start with me, Kuwabara. I'm not in a good mood."

You guys walk up to the entrance, and Yusuke makes a sarcastic remark. "Wow, now this place is homey." You nodded. Yeah, you would totally want to live here.

"So uh, I guess we're just gonna walk right in?" Kuwabara asks, his voice echoing in the entrance hallway.

Kurama frowns, looking worried. "Any prize that's worth having usually requires a risk."

Kuwabara tries to put on his tough guy act. "I say we make them come out here and fight us up front like they're not a bunch of sissies."

Hiei scoffs. "Hehe. Your sense of strategy is amazing."

You chuckle. "Almost as amazing as his stupidity."

"Are you talking about me, you little midget!" You yell.

You turn to Kuwabara and glare daggers at him. "That depends, who are you calling a midget!" You're NOT a midget! You're five foot two!

Yusuke scrunches up angrily, obviously annoyed with your fighting. "Let's go." He snaps.

Kuwabara mutters something about you and Hiei before you guys start down the hall, you with your hands ballad into fists at your sides, and a glare on your face, your steps echoing against the cold stone walls.

However, as you guys get further and further, the air becomes stronger and stronger with the smell of blood, and you can feel yourself becoming more and more irritable. You couldn't help but give a low growl, and you sense something else coming close to you. You frown as the strange little purple creature appears. It's an eye with wings and a yellow iris.

"Welcome to Maze Castle." If your sister was here, she'd be screaming her head right now. She's so afraid of everything.

"Whoa, it talked!" -_- Well, no duh, you derp.

That freaky bat thing continues. "Those who enter Maze Castle must be tried by the Gate of Betrayal."

Yusuke glares at that annoying little creature while holding up a fist to it. "What do you mean, 'tried'?" He asked. Ugh, again with the derp-ness.

You take a step forward. "What do you think, Urameshi?" You ask as that thing flies off, and something opens in the wall. Your eyes widen. "We…should move."

But before Kuwabara can ask why, it flips the switch, and the whole place starts to shake. "Urameshi…" Kuwabara starts. "Why did you have to ask?" Doesn't Yusuke know to NEVER ask questions like that?

Kurama looks up and gasps, "The ceiling!"

You try to run, but sadly, don't make it in time. Now you're all stuck just barely holding the ceiling up from crushing you. "Well, this sucks." You mutter as the creature laughs at you.

"Heavy, isn't it?" It asks tauntingly. Oh, it's so lucky killing's not in your nature…and that you're trapped right now. "Senses in the corridor are most intelligent."

"If only that was the same for you…" You growl as sweat drips down your forehead. "It's not a good idea to make me mad."

"Oh? And why pray tell is that?"

You smirk. "I don't get mad-I get _even_."

He laughed. "You won't be able to get even with me, dear girl. You see, a complex assembly of gears adapts the ceiling's weight precisely to match the strength of it's victims. Of course, there is a catch. There is just enough leeway for one person to escape leaving their friends to be crushed by the weight."

"Damn it…" Yusuke snapped.

The thing lowers itself in front of you to make eye contact. "The decisions must be made quickly. Not even the five of you combined can hold the ceiling for long. Insist on teamwork, and everyone will be crushed. Only by turning against your friends will one of you be able to escape. Only the traitor among you deserves to enter Maze Castle. That's why it's called the 'Gate of Betrayal' you see."

It starts to fly off, but before it does, you shout, "Well then, I guess I'm dead, because my friends come first!" It doesn't listen, and flies away laughing at you. "Crap…" You whisper. "This is bad…what are we gonna do? This is a lose-lose situation no matter how we look at it!"

"Boy, I'd like to get my hands on that bat-thing!" Kuwabara yells, only for his knee to bend, and the ceiling gets just a little heavier.

"Stay focused on the weight or you'll kill us all!" Hiei snaps.

Oh God, here's where the argument starts. "Oh sure, blame me," Lord, Kuwabara's so defensive. "I bet I'm holding up a lot more weight than you are!"

"Shut it, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yells.

"Well, I'm not about to die for the sake of you worthless humans!" Oh God…when is Maze Castle mission going to be over? You want to hurry up and save Yukina already!

"Don't you even considerate it, Hiei." Kurama says.

"Man, I knew we should've played some trust games."

"Yusuke, you idiot!" You snap. Honestly, how's trust going to help your situation now? "Think clearly for two minutes, Yusuke: Even if someone does betray, their odds wouldn't be good. There's no way they'd be able to go through Maze Castle on their own!" Can't anyone here THINK?

The bat-thing reappears, laughing again. "This has always been my favorite part of the trial. Watching the way you squirm as your muscles begin to pop and tear under the ceiling's weight. But of course, the best is your eyes." Well, that makes sense. That freaky thing IS an eye! "Seeing the gears of thought turn in desperation. Thinking? Questioning yourself?" You're not questioning yourself or the others for a minute! 'How long can I hold this? Will I die this way? Will one friend betray us and escape while we flatten? Or should I be the one?" You can see the reflection of yourselves in the creature's eye.

"Just ignore that punk…stick together." Kuwabara muttered. This is getting really bad…you guys need to do something, and fast, or this is it! He turns to Hiei and glares at him. Oh, here we go again. "And if anybody tries to run, I swear I'll drag 'em back myself!"

Hiei scoffs and gives a smirk. "And I suppose you think it'd be noble if we all died as a team."

Now Kuwabara's really struggling, and everyone else, including you, isn't doing that much better. "Yeah, that's right…"

"Here's a thought: let's shut up and find a way out!" Yusuke says as you look toward the switch and that little bat thing fluttering upon, obviously enjoying your pain. He looks at your favorite fire demon. "Hiei! You're a lot faster than any of us. We'll hold the ceiling up while you go and flip the switch."

"You crazy!" Kuwabara yelled. "We can't trust that guy! Just look; he doesn't care at all about us!"

"You got a…better idea Kuwabara?" You ask before giving a sharp gasp of pain. After this, you're not gonna be able to feel your arms for days. You know you've torn something.

"Your ugly friend has a good point, girl. Are you sure you wanna trust me?" Hiei asks.

Okay, you don't enjoy stealing lines from Yusuke, or from anybody except Koenma, but it's your turn to talk, so… You chuckled. "Hiei, I don't think quick deaths are your style. And _I_ trust you." Yusuke nodded in response, but he's probably a little upset that you stole his lines.

Hiei stares at the both of you, obviously surprised {though you can't say you blame him, after all, Hiei did kidnap Keiko and nearly turned her into a demon, and you're just a human. Man, he must think you're either really stupid, or just very trusting…maybe both.} "Well, what are you waiting for, Hiei?" You ask with a smirk visible on your face.

Yusuke's hand starts to glow red, and the ceiling seems a little less heavy. "I'll let out all the Spirit Power I have left to buy us a little time while you run to the switch. Just _don't trip_." He smiles. "I trust you too. Now go!"

Hiei continues to stare at the both of you before almost completely vanishes in flashes of light, and stops before the switch, startling the still laughing eye. He looks like he's about to pull the switch, but he stops and turns to you.

"What's the big idea?" Kuwabara yelled. "Pull the stupid switch already!"

You know Hiei's gonna pull the switch. You've no doubt in your mind. Hiei's not a bad person, regardless of what anyone else thinks. You trust him with your life! Even though he's probably not going to call you by your name for a while, and he's most likely going to refer to you as "girl" for quite some time to come. Hopefully, he'll be calling you "Piper" by the Three Kings Saga…if not, then you're screwed over. "Hurry up, Hiei!" You shout.

"There is no need to make snap judgments, my friend." The thing says as Hiei starts to look more and more stressed, even more so than you. "What have they ever done for you? Especially the girl." Okay, it's different with Hiei. But that freaky thing CAN'T CALL YOU "GIRL". "Leave them, and you can come with me into the Castle. With the invasion of Earth, the Five Saint Beasts will control the future. Be smart. Join us. Perhaps you can be the general of our demon army." Hiei? The general of a demon army? You just don't see it happening.

Hiei continues to stare as Kuwabara speaks again. "Don't you dare, you creep! If it hadn't been for our help, you'd still be screaming with the rest of us!" Hiei finally pulls his hand away and laughs. "What are you laughing about?"

"Take a good guess, you fool."

"Damn…you!" Geez, Ye of Little Faith!

"Yes…" Man, that thing has such a weird little voice…God, you're random. "You find amusement in their pain. Now imagine the satisfaction that will come from their final screams!" It starts laughing again.

"Hiei!" Kuwabara shouted. You actually agree with him-seriously, anytime now, Hiei!

"A wise choice-the boulder would've crushed you anyway." You smirk. Oh, it shouldn't have said that…that's what Hiei was waiting for.

Hiei's red eyes narrow and he jumps up, ready to strike with his sword. "Thanks for the clue!" He slashes that ugly little thing, and now it's staggering around like it's drunk, desperately trying to fly back to it's masters. Hiei then pulls the switch.

"He came through!" Yusuke smiled, but a second later, the boulder comes crashing down on him. "Hiei!"

You smile. "Why so worried, Urameshi?" You ask.

"Are you crazy!" He asked.

"A strong possibility." You say before you duck your hand and get out from underneath the ceiling with the others. The others run out, and you smile, gesturing to Hiei with your thumb. "You see? He's fine."

"Tell your masters that this is their chance to beg for mercy." Hiei yelled as it continues to fly off, its blood dripping down onto the floor. You frown. This only makes it worse…and what that thing said…

But regardless of your bad mood, you smile and place your hand on your hip. "You see? There was never any need for any doubt. He just needed to find if the switch was booby-trapped." You look to Kuwabara. "He wants to live just as much as you do, Kuwabara."

Yusuke smiled and placed his hand on Hiei's shoulder. "Well, he did have me worried. Hell of an actor! You know, not everyone can pretend to laugh at their dying friends!"

Hiei scoffed. "Friends are just a crutch for the weak. And I wasn't acting."

"Say what!" Kuwabara asked.

Hiei walks away a few steps, and points at you-just you. "I knew the girl was right; I only saved you because I might need your help." He continues without you.

Kurama laughs. "It's his way of saying 'your welcome'."

You nodded and chuckled. "I believe it is." Your expression turns serious again as you turn to the fire demon. "Wait a second Hiei," He turns back to you.

"What?" He asks.

"You remember what that thing said? It said 'Five Saint Beasts'. I may be human, but I've heard of these Beasts as well. Aren't there only supposed to be four?" You ask, looking at Kurama and Hiei.

Kurama nodded. "Yes, I believe you're right. But unfortunately, no one knows that much about the Saint Beasts."

You sigh. "Oh, well that's just great. I can't believe Koenma would send someone out to this castle without knowing anything about the enemy!" You frown. "But I don't think he had a choice." Kurama and Hiei explained to you the whole situation before you left. "And now with another Beast, that makes our mission even that more difficult."

"Whatever...Hiei still ticks me off." Kuwabara mutters.

You place your hands behind your back and give him a bored expression. "I think you're just upset because Hiei makes you look like an ass."

You sigh as you look toward your new friends. Kuwabara and Hiei don't get along. You and Kuwabara don't get along. You know you and Yusuke won't be on good terms either. Hiei doesn't even call you by your name.

…Well, this sucks.

…

**Vocabulary:**

**1} Derp: Someone who makes ignorant/obvious comments. **


	4. Chapter 3: Stupidity

**Chapter 3: "Oh yeah, everything's wonderful!"**

**Your POV:**

Even as you guys just walk down the darkly lit hall, you can feel the tension in the air…actually, you're not sure if that's tension, or just the draft coming from all the open windows. Why would they have so many windows that can't close? Don't they get cold? Well, Genbu's made of cold stone and Byakko has his fur coat, so they probably don't get cold, and Seriyu's an ice demon or something like that, so he doesn't either. Or maybe he does, and just doesn't care. And what about their leader? Um…what's-his-face…ugh, you can't remember his name! But surely he doesn't get cold because to him, _it's always all about him_…you feel your anger flare again, even though your face remains calm and expressionless, by those words…they remind you too much of your father.

A loud ringing noise and a very loud scream from Kuwabara snapped you out of your violent thoughts and you turned to Yusuke. Yusuke smiles as he takes out his communication mirror and Kuwabara finally stops yelling. Honestly, and people wonder why you're partially deaf in your left ear. Someone's always screaming in it, bunch of retards. "What is that thing?" Kuwabara asked with a weird face. Wow, animation has its' wonders… "Is it safe?" Yes Kuwabara. A tiny mirror the size of Yusuke's hand is really a weapon. It's totally dangerous. Honestly. Dipshit.

"It's just the communication mirror I got from Botan." He clicks it open, and Botan answers, holding up the peace sign with two fingers, and in her other, she has a baseball. "It's Botan here in the living world, you copy?"

Yusuke gives a slight nod of his head, and starts to say something, but Kuwabara tries to take the mirror from him by shoving his head out of the way. "Hey, what's up Botan?" Oh, he's subtle. How stupid can a human being be? "This is the brave Kuwabara reporting at your service." BRAVE? Kuwabara? _BRAVE_? Oh please, _Crysta_ is braver than he is! "I'm taking very good care of Urameshi." Oh, bullshit!

But Botan seems to get amusement out of it. "I'm so glad to hear that. I've got things under control here as well, more or less. The Makai insects only like to nest in depressed peoples' minds, so that narrows my search down a bit. I've also found another spy for the Saint Beasts. I just can't figure out how they're getting past the barrier." Ugh, if she keeps going like this, you're gonna fall asleep when you're standing…and should you tell her there are Five Saint Beasts? "See, I think there are demons outside the city taking orders along the wall."

"Watch out!" Kuwabara yelled as some guy possessed by the insects comes up from behind her to try and attack her, but she doesn't even turn around as she smacks him back down her silver bat.

She smiles. "Don't worry, those guys are weaklings." She should talk. "The real challenge is finding those Makai insects." The more you think about it, the more you realize just how much time you spend with idiots. There's Kuwabara, Yusuke, Botan, and the idiots in your Algebra and Health classes.

You cross your arms over your chest, and look at Kurama and Hiei as Yusuke and Kuwabara continue to talk with Botan. "You know, I would've appreciated it if you guys had told me these two are idiots."

"You're not exactly intelligent yourself." Hiei remarks.

You smirk. "Hey, there's a difference between insanity and stupidity, Hiei. I'm not stupid; I'm just crazy."

**Hiei's POV:**

"Crazy" is an understatement. That girl is completely insane. Granted, she's not dumb, at least she doesn't appear so, but she does appear naïve. But honestly, she seems like there's something really wrong with her, mentally or emotionally, you can't tell. She seemed happy and friendly at first, and now she's just…switching personalities, like someone's pressing a button. She's very talkative at one moment, the next, she's hostile with everyone around her. She's the strangest human you've ever seen.

**Your POV:**

"Okay, we're trying, but this castle is kind of rough." Yusuke said as soon as you finished your own conversation with Hiei and Kurama. What's Hiei thinking, anyway? He's got this weird look on his face…

"Well, of course it is, no one's survived before!" _Oh, that's comforting_, you thought sarcastically as she hangs up.

You sigh. "This is going well, isn't it?" You asked with a roll of your eyes as the five of you continue on your way. This day could not possibly get any worse. It's forever until the Dark Tournament, you're stuck babysitting, and again, Hiei thinks your name is girl. This is getting more and more suckish with every second that passes, and with every second that passes, you can feel just a bit more of your sanity slip from your body, and a bit of your soul go with it.

"Hey Piper," Yusuke speaks and you all stop walking. You turn your head, a nasty glare on your face. But you're not angry. No, _that's just your face_. "You've heard of these Saint Beasts, right?" You give a small nod. "What do you know about them?"

Your glare fades and you shrug. "Sorry Yusuke, but I don't know a lot about them. I've only heard about them. And judging from what I've heard, my sources aren't very reliable, seeing as how I was told there are only four, and now there are five." Wow. This sucks. Now you look stupid. Wonderful. Just…_wonderful_. This is really one of your "I HATE EVERYTHING" days. Or one of those days when it seems like it's going to be a fantastic day, but then it turns out horrible, since fate loves to mess with you, just like the human race.

…You think you're just really starting to hate humans. Nice. True, your best friends and the woman who raised you, your mother, are humans, but the human population outnumbers your friends and mom. So there.

You give a sigh. "I can't believe Koenma would send someone on a mission like this without any information whatsoever. We're fighting blind." Ha, you just still George's line! Eh, he's a loser anyway. "And besides," You start, getting angrier by the second. "How do we not have any information on these Beasts? They're infamous in the Spirit World, right?"

Kurama gives you a nod. "Yes, but you see, once the barrier was raised, Spirit World intelligence virtually forgot this place existed."

You narrow your eyes. "And that makes our job that much easier. _Fun_." Yay for you.

…Man, you're sarcastic when you're mad!

That realization/thought/whatever you wanna call it makes you think of your cousin, Bree Blaze. You don't know why, she's not sarcastic or witty or anything like that. In fact, she barely even speaks…you wonder why you get along with her. But you're not close because she lives on the other side of the country-well, now you probably can't even talk to her because you highly doubt you can get a signal on your cell phone all the way out here. You wonder how she's doing. Hopefully, better than you at the moment. And then there's Kiki. You're a lot closer to her than you are with Bree. You guys are best friends! Well, there's her best friend Amy, but you guys are still really close.

…

Something isn't right. This whole situation just seems wrong, wrong times three. You start tapping your foot. That's what you do when you're nervous. You shallow hard. "We need to find that whistle and then get the hell outta here. This entire place is really starting to make me nervous." Everything seems…_wrong_. Somehow. You just can't figure out what it is, but something just. Isn't. _Right_. But _what is it_?

…Maybe it's the lighting.

"What do you know?" Kuwabara demanded. You roll your eyes at him. He's obviously angry, but there's no need to take it out on Kurama; he hasn't done anything wrong. Jesus Christ, you're going to lose whatever sanity you possess because of that imbecile.

But regardless of Kuwabara's rude tone, Kurama smiles and says, "Let's just say that when you see their bodies, you may be very surprised."

Before you can question what he means by that {because you never really understood when he said that}, Genbu's voice booms throughout the stone hallway. "Terrified," He yells. "Isn't that more like it?"

"Hey, who said that?" Kuwabara asked, already terrified and he hasn't even seen the enemy yet. It's unwise to underestimate your enemy, but it's also unwise to _over_estimate them.

Well, you're internally cussing out Kuwabara, laughter echoes throughout the hallway.

Genbu. Crap.

Genbu speaks, and his voice actually sounds a bit normal, at least more normal than usual. "There is a door behind you. Please, take it." The lighting increases, and indeed, a door is now visible.

You stare at the door for a few seconds. "I really don't think we should-"

As usual, no one is listening. Yusuke and Kuwabara kick open the door. "Ladies first." Yusuke grumbles.

"What was that you were sayin' Piper?" Kuwabara asked.

You roll your eyes and shake your head. "Never mind. I don't think it's important anymore." You say before you walk in, the rest of you following Yusuke. Why would Yusuke go first if he said "ladies first"? That seems like something Kuwabara would do. Kuwabara epically fails at being cool. Then again, he epically fails at a lot of things…actually, pretty much everything.

You're officially bored out of your mind, so you pull out your Ipod {thank GOD it came with you}, and play "Whispers in the Dark" by Skillet at max. You don't care what anyone says about your hearing; NO ONE is making you turn your music down.

All is quiet until Hiei rips out your ear buds. You glare at him and snap, "I was listening to that you know! Not my fault this castle is boring the crap out of me."

Hiei looks at you like you're insane {which you are}, and then he looks at your Ipod. "What the hell is that?" He asks, getting the attention of the others.

You tilt your head and raise an eyebrow at them. "You guys don't know what an Ipod is?" You said with a slight laugh. "It's a human thing, so Hiei and Kurama wouldn't know, but…" You stop short so you don't piss anyone off. "Urameshi, Kuwabara, it's a Ipod. What it can do depends on which one you get. They all play music, but some can play videos and take pictures. That's what mine does." Your Ipod is your baby. Odio got it for you for your birthday.

Hiei's weird look doesn't falter. "Why do you have that with you?"

"I don't leave home without it."

Kuwabara blinks twice. "Why?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Although, that wasn't directed just at Kuwabara; you know Hiei got the message when he glares at you, you only giving a small smirk. You know, your love for pissing people off is going to get you in deep shit one day.

…You swear too much. Oh well. We all have our flaws.

"Why is it so loud?" Hiei asks, obviously irritated and annoyed.

You gave a smirk as your put your ear buds back in. "To block out Kuwabara. Why else?"

Yusuke clearly doesn't want another fight to start, so he picks up the torch and throws it; a huge, bumpy shadow is casted on the wall. Genbu laughs and his eyes glow yellow. "Welcome, trespassers." You're amazed he even knows what a trespasser is. He doesn't seem to be that much more intelligent that Kuwabara, and that's saying something. "I am Genbu, of the Four Saint Beasts."

"No, really?" You don't even bother muttering; you don't need to worry when Genbu is only a D-class demon. You could take him down no problem. You'd worry if he was an Upper-C class demon.

What Kuwabara says next makes it even more obvious that he's a dumbass. "Yeah, he's a Saint Beast!" He yells into your ear.

You let out an annoyed growl and glare at him with a hateful expression. "Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?"

"…Oh." The stupidity in this room is making you sick.

…

**Reviews:**

**-Angel of Randomosity: Thanks =] I'm glad to see everyone finds her funny. **

**-Chocolate Parfait: Good. I want people to be able to relate to this story. But actually, only two of those things happen {i.e, they go through all the sagas and she goes to the Yu Yu Hakusho world.}**

**-Unknown: Please leave a name next time. ^^ But again, it's far less predictable than people think. I did my research and want to make this story enjoyable. And yes, Kuwabara is going to very hated during the first few chapters. =P**

**-DarkRavensNight: Well, Koenma did send Yusuke and Kuwabara no problem, didn't he? :p And technically, she wanted to go. He didn't make her. **

**-xEpIcxXxfAiLx: I worked really hard to make sure Piper's not a Mary-Sue. She has her faults {i.e. moody, naïve, she's either too trusting or untrusting, she's bipolar, sarcastic, and to a certain extent, even **_**sadistic**_**.} **

**-MikaUchiha666: Your review is my favorite. I think I might have Piper use that line. So this update is for you. :]**


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